Hontoon Island State Park

Leave your car behind to visit this island park nestled between the St. Johns and Hontoon Dead Rivers. As the free ferry whisks you across the water to the other side, scan for Osprey, Anhinga, Limpkin and other wading birds along the shoreline. Pick up a map of the area at the visitor center/museum. The 3-mile Hammock Hiking Nature Trail down the western side of the island leads through hardwood hammocks full of songbirds and woodpeckers, and ends at an ancient Native American shell midden in the southwest corner of the island. An additional 3 miles of roads can be hiked and 5 miles of roads can be birded by bicycle. Swallow-tailed Kite and Bald Eagle circle over the hammock; sometimes you can spot them even through the sun-dappled leaf canopy. The island’s interior is comprised of scrubby flatwoods, where a host of migrating songbirds await in spring and fall. Note: the island has primitive campsites for tents and, cabins for rent, which allow early morning and nighttime access. Rental Canoes and kayaks are also available to explore the rivers.